I am a Burmese exile taking a near-permanent refuge in New York and Sydney. Here are my essays about Burma and anything else I feel like writing about. And posting the articles I like from selected sites. Bridging Burma to the world this Blog is more of a Politically-Oriented Literary Blog than a Plain News Blog or a Sophisticated Thoughts Blog.

Is TRF Implicating Tatmadaw In Ko Ni’s Assasination?

Thompson Reuters Foundation (TRF) based
in London is one of the world’s largest media organizations and right now its
Burmese subsidy “Myanmar Now” a largely unknown online activist journal based
in Yangon has been at odd with Burmese Military (Tatmadaw) for its recent news
articles indirectly blaming Tatmadaw for the assassination of Muslim leader Ko
Ni at Yangon International Airport on January-29 just last month.

In a series of articles TRF’s Myanmar Now is implicating Tatmadaw in Ko
Ni’s hit by slowly building a circumstantial case based on some facts not
disclosed by the Myanmar Government, loose interviews with senior NLD government
and parliament members, and commentaries by some well-known Burmese figures.

TRF’s first salvo against Tatmadaw came
out on February-16 by the article displaying the Black Toyota Harrier
(registration YGN 9C-6725) supposedly parking right in front of the Rangoon
house of fugitive Lt. Colonel Aung Win Khaing on February-10 more
than a week after the arrest of his elder brother Captain Aung Win Zaw on
January-30.

Just one day before that TRF’s article
was published, on February-15 NLD Government announced the definitive
involvement of alleged mastermind Lt. Col. Aung Win Khaing in Ko Ni’s killing.

By the February-16 article TRF is
basically disclosing that the alleged mastermind and supposed fugitive Lt. Col.
Aung Win Khaing had been just hanging around in Rangoon till February-10 as if
nothing bad was going to happen to him even though his two accomplices (killer
Kyi Lin and controller Aung Win Zaw) were already in police custody and freely talking
to the police investigators.

Following is the direct translation of
that TRF’s first article on 16 February 2017:

Yangon (Myanmar Now): How much time did
Lt. Col. Aung Win Khaing who was declared
by NLD government on February-15 as the alleged mastermind and fugitive in
Muslim lawyer Ko Ni’s killing really have for fleeing his Yangon house and
escaping from the police?

Aung Win Khaing’s Black Toyota Harrier
with Rego No. YGN 9C-6725 was found parked right in front of his own house on
February-10. And the same car being driven by Aung Win Khaing himself at Yangon
International Airport on January 29 the date of Ko Ni’s murder was featured
clearly in the February-15 Press Release of Myanmar President Office.

According to some neighbours only Aung
Win Khaing did drive his car as his wife does not drive and his two sons are
not 18 yet and thus not able to get a driver license. Aung Win Khaing, his
wife, and two sons aged 17 and 12 live in the house on Mandine St of Wazo Ward
in Dawbone Township.

According to the officials from the
army-controlled Interior Ministry Lt. Colonel Aung Win Khaing was the alleged
mastermind and his elder brother Captain Aung Win Zaw had hired the killer
convict Kyi Linn for the planned hit on Ko Ni at Yangon International Airport
on January-29.

Gunman Kyi Linn was captured near the
crime scene at the airport and Captain Aung Win Zaw was also arrested next day
and now being interrogated. Nearly one week after those news were officially
announced Myanmar Now found the car of now-alleged-mastermind Lt. Col. Aung Win
Khaing parked nicely at right in front of his house in Rangoon.

What TRF’s Myanmar Now was implying in this article was that Aung Win
Khaing seemed to have a peace of mind and not fleeing even after his elder
brother was arrested as if he knew he would be protected by mighty and powerful
(from the Tatmadaw).

By the following February-20 article
TRF is basically claiming that the NLD-government has privately acknowledged
the clear and present danger to their officials from the high and mighty of the
Tatmadaw by the public assassination of the most prominent Muslim leader Ko Ni.

Following is the direct translation of
that TRF’s second article on 20 February 2017:

Nay-Pyi-Daw (Myanmar Now): It has been
already three weeks since the NLD’s Legal Advisor and a High-Court lawyer U Ko
Ni was assassinated (at Yangon International Airport). The crime is being
investigated by the Army and the Police and the news and facts from them are
being released slowly by the President Office and the Information Ministry.

Killer's gun was just a few inches away from victim's head.

But the public seem to be frustratingly
unsatisfied with the handling of case and also the slow release of news by the
authorities. For example it took more than two weeks for the President Office to
release the news of Lt. Col. Aung Win
Khaing’s suspected involvement in Ko Ni’s assassination only on February-15
while his elder brother and the second suspect Captain Aung Win Zaw was already
captured in the early morning of January-30 just 12 hours after the crime.

By the army-drawn 2008 Constitution Myanmar
Police Force is under the Ministry of Interior which is controlled by the
Tatmadaw. So Myanmar Now asked the NLD Information Minster Dr. Phe Myint the
question that if not only the public but also the government’s own Information
Ministry and even the President are all under the News-Blackout deliberately by
the Tatmadaw and Interior Ministry.

Myanmar Now:Please tell us your feeling as a
minister and also a citizen on the public killing of U Ko Ni?

Dr. Phe Myint: U Ko Ni was a very dear friend of me well before his murder. We were
travelling together for a week to Indonesia and when we got back he farewelled
to us at the Airport. Just a while later after we separated we were told he was
assassinated. He was shot by a gunman. So we went and saw him lying dead in his
blood. Of course we were shaken because he was a friend speaking to us just
before.

Myanmar Now: Can you please tell us in details the
whole thing from the airplane exit to him lying dead just outside on the kerb?

Dr. Phe Myint: When we left for Indonesia we all gathered at the VIP Hall to board the
plane. But when we got back that day everyone got out on own arrangement.
Somehow he was out through normal departure hall and we were through the VIP
Hall. Then we were told gunshots were heard and when we asked we found out the
killed were U Ko Ni and also a taxi driver. So Deputy-Interior-Minister
Major-General Aung Soe and Deputy-Border-Affairs Minster Major-General Than
Htut and I went there and found him dead.

Myanmar Now: The killing was done on a member of
State Delegation and many people were suspicious of insider(s) tipping the
killer. Airline, flight number, and exact arrival time all seemed to leak from
the insider(s). Do you have any suspicion like that?

Dr. Phe Myint: I don’t think so. The trip was not a secret trip and there were so many
on the trip. On very first day at the airport we even had a group photo. So
many people knew about our trip and the killer(s) would not find it too
difficult to discover our itinerary.

Myanmar Now: During the trip was the relationship
between U Ko Ni and others Okay?

Dr. Phe Myint: Yes of course. We were all together 21 men and the relationship among
us was warm and friendly. At the beginning most of us didn’t know each other
too well. But after 4-5 days we were all laughing and joking and even pulling
pranks.

Dr. Phe Myint: You should know U Ko Ni and many other people knew him well too. He had
strong interest in politics and also in legal affairs. He also said and wrote a
lot on race and religion and conflicts. During the trip we met all sorts of
people from both Indo Government and other organizations like Muslim groups.
And they were discussing very strongly on what has been going on in our
country. U Ko Ni also involved in most discussion and I could say that it was
his strong or strange character.

Myanmar Now: Were the current troubles in Yakhine
(Arakan) discussed?

Dr. Phe Myint: Yes of course, and all other affairs too. The main purpose of this trip
was to study the Indonesia’s successful transformation to democracy from military
dictatorship. At the beginning of that transformation period there were violent
racial and religious conflicts happening in their Maluku Islands Group. The
islands have equal numbers of Muslims and Christians and the racio-religious
conflicts lasted 4-5 years there. So they told us about the race riots and how
they finally solved the problems there. That was U Ko Ni’s pet topic and he
discussed with them a lot on that.

Dr. Phe Myint: We were on just a study mission and what we did was listen to them, ask
question later on what we were not clear, and discuss some cases. That’s all. U
Ko Ni also did not argue too much there but he was a type of person that he
would thoroughly discuss with anyone he met there on whatever he strongly
believed in.

Myanmar Now: Concerning this case we saw on
Internet the news of killing and U Ko Ni’s photo on the front-page of your
“Global New Light of Myanmar” news paper in the early morning of January-30.
But when the print version of the newspaper came out later the whole report was
on inside. Not on the front-page. Was it your own decision or the pressures
from the President Office or the Interior Minsitry?

Dr. Phe Myint: I do not know what happened exactly. Our newspaper editors have a
general guideline on placing what type of photos and what particular news on
their front pages. But the details are usually decided by the editorial groups.
I sometimes check the newspapers the night before. But I do not remember if I
did that particular night.

Myanmar Now: Was U Ko Ni killed because of his
politics or race or religion or a personal affair, what do you know now?

Dr. Phe Myint: This type of crime is very complex. We could assume all sorts of
things. One thing very clear to me is
they could have killed him anywhere in Yangon as he was the type of famous man
going all over the place and attending so many meetings here and there. But
they deliberately chose the Airport to kill him. And videoed it and released it
almost immediately on Facebook. They clearly wanted to frighten our people.
They wanted them to be insecure and be fearful for their own safety to create
instability in the country.In
my opinion it will not be easy to find the real culprits behind the killers.

Myanmar Now: Do you believe that all culprits
involved in U Ko Ni’s killing will eventually be brought to justice and
punished accordingly?

Dr. Phe Myint: It will be too difficult to bring all of them to justice. Just look at
the assassination of our General Aung San on 19 July1947. We caught all the
assasins. And we caught the so-called mastermind U Saw and all of them were
punished severely. But still we have been
saying and writing about the conspiracy theories of British involvement and
others. I do not think it will be easy to prove these theories as the crime
chain was broken after U Saw and his henchmen were caught and hanged. In U
Ko Ni’s case the killer and the mastermind were already caught and if they
don’t talk the case will end like General Aung San’s case.

What TRF’s Myanmar Now and NLD’s Information Minister himself were
implying in this article was that the actual killer and his so-called
mastermind have already been caught and the mighty and powerful (from the
Tatmadaw) who were real masterminds will never be caught like the British
mastermind behind the assassination of General Aung San 70 years ago. The
precedence we Burmese know so well from our sad and violent history.

By the following February-21 article
TRF is basically disclosing that the Aung San Suu Kyi has been calmly handling
the case with her mouth shut and all her people from the NLD Government and
NLD-controlled Parliament too so that Tatmadaw will not be offended or pushed
into doing some stupid things like staging a military coup or more
assassinations.

Following is the direct translation of
that TRF’s third article on 21 February 2017:

Yangon (Myanmar Now): The reason the
Myanmar Parliament has not been applying pressure publicly on the NLD
Government on the U Ko Ni’s case is just not to affect the ongoing
reconciliation process between Tatmadaw and Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League
for Democracy (NLD), said U Khin Maung Win the Chair of People Hluttaw’s
Justice & Legal Affairs Committee.

NLD party member U Khin Maung Win is
also a member of People Parliament for Lan-ma-daw Township in Rangoon Division.
During the interview with Myanmar Now in first week of February he told us
about why the Parliament has not been discussing about the public murder of the
most prominent Muslim leader and also a senior member of NLD (National League
for Democracy).

Myanmar Now: Are there any motions or questions at
the parliament on the ongoing investigation of U Ko Ni’s public murder?

U Khin Maung Win: Not yet so far. We haven’t done anything on the
case as it could be seen as a biased-act. And our leader, you can call her
State-Counsellor or Party-Chairman, has been very careful about avoiding
unnecessary conflicts during present ongoing reconciliation process (with the
Army). U Ko Ni did say openly whatever he wanted to say and his favourite
topics (amending 2008 constitution, and the Race and Religion Protection Act) the
Tatmadaw does not like them at all. So in this case we underlings should not
say anything till our elders let us.

Myanmar Now: But U Ko Ni had supported NLD’s MPs so
much on legal affairs and laws?

U Khin Maung Win: Yes he did and he was one of the reasons our NLD
won the last election with a landslide victory. But we are not the only party
in the Parliament as there are other political parties. If we over-react on
this case just because our man was killed the reconciliation process could be
disturbed. But I am not saying we will do nothing. Maybe we do something
tomorrow or later even if we’ve done nothing so far on U Ko Ni’s murder.

Myanmar Now: Why aren’t the President Office and
State Counsellor Office investigating the case themselves or ordering the High
Court or Attorney-General Office to investigate?

U Khin Maung Win: They are doing it right now and that’s why we
found out so much about the killers. Everything is being done secretly so far.
Don’t worry too much. Our NLD elders are handling this case very carefully.
That’s why the situation in country now is very stable because of their gentle
handling of this high-profile murder case.

What TRF’s Myanmar Now and NLD’s senior MP himself were implying in this
article was that a gentle and secret handling of the murder investigation was
needed and also being done so that Tatmadaw will not be offended or pushed into
doing some stupid things like staging a military coup or more assassinations of
high-ranking NLD members like they did to Ko Ni.

By the following second February-21
article TRF is basically letting the public know their suspicion of Tatmadaw’s
involvement and their concerns of the generals burying everything else and
scapegoating the only two already arrested.

Following is the direct translation of
that TRF’s fourth article on 21 February 2017:

Yangon (Myanmar Now): Some prominent
people are already criticizing the NLD government that public confidence on the
democratically-elected NLD government will weaken significantly if two culprits
already captured only are eventually punished while the rest behind the murder
are not investigated thoroughly and brought to justice.

One of those critics is the famous
write Chit Oo Nyo who was also a close friend of late Ko Ni. “I don’t really
like the fact that the alleged mastermind Lt. Col. Aung Win Khaing is still at
large,” said Chit Oo Nyo.

“I am deeply worried that the case will end eventually with only those
two already arrested. They will finally come out and say the rest of the criminal-chains
are lost as the mastermind has disappeared, I am afraid. They should have
released the photos of all the suspects earlier and given people opportunities
to report them to police. But the authorities seem to be slowly releasing
information for some unexplained reason!” added Chit Oo Nyo.

Chit Oo Nyo then let us know that he
frequently met Ko Ni last four years and also his dear wife a lawyer had attended
a law course taught by Ko Ni a prominent High Court lawyer. He also added that U
Ko Ni knew army-drawn 2008 Constitution inside out and determined to get rid of
it.

“Killing him in public right at the
crowded International Airport was a well-planned act to frighten us the public
by a group of really horrible people accustomed to committing violence all
their lives,” said angrily the writer. He demanded the government to release
all related information on the case as soon as and as truthfully as possible.

“Myanmar Lawyers Network” also publicly
demanded on February-19 that the government must capture every culprit
connected with Ko Ni’s murder ASAP and criticized the authorities for their
slow investigation and also slower release of information to the public.

What TRF’s Myanmar Now was implying in this article was that they were
deeply worried that the case will finally end with only two culprits as the
scapegoats and all the big shots from the Tatmadaw would be left unpunished.

Why Are The Four Articles Not On The English Version Site?

All four Myanmar Now’s articles were allegedly
written by Swe Win the Senior Journalist well known as a left-wing pro-Muslim
activist since his junior journalist days in anti-Tatmadaw and anti-Buddhist-nationalist
Irrawaddy the prominent Burmese-exile media based in Thailand.

He has also been collaborating with left-wing
American journalists from the Left-leaning New York Times and Arab-Mulsim
journalists from the Aljazeera from Islamist-controlled Qatar. Many one-sided
anti-Burmese-Buddhist and pro-Muslim pieces from both New York Times and Aljazeera
credited Swe Win openly.

Not only implicating the Tatmadaw in Ko
Ni’s murder by his four Myanmar Now articles Swe Win also declared the possible
involvement of Burmese Nationalist Buddhist monks from Ma-Ba-Tha (The Protectors
of Race and Religion) by bluntly asking the Interior Minister Lt. General Kyaw
Swe in the February-25 press briefing the following question: “The alleged master mind (former MIS
Captain) Zeya Phyo has been so close to the Buddhist monks from Ma-Ba-Tha,
maybe there is a possibility that the monks influenced or even ordered Zeya
Phyo (to kill Ko Ni)?”

After the Minister's simple answer to him that our Buddhist monks do not kill because they are Buddhist monks Swe Win later posted on Facebook that the Minister's answer was extremely-ugly and as the minister controlling Myanmar Police Force he had no rights to answer along that line (without thoroughly investigating the Ma-Ba-Tha monks).

One unsettling fact about Swe Win’s four
misleading Myanmar Now articles is that all four articles have not been
translated to English and posted yet on the English Version site of TRF-subsidy
Myanmar Now. Maybe Burmese staffs of TRF are deliberately not letting their
English and American overseers working in the Yangon TRF office know what they
are doing concerning Ko Ni’s murder.

Hopefully the Thompson Reuters
Foundation (TRF) knows what their Burmese subsidy is doing such as deliberately
misleading their readers into hating Burmese Army and also Nationalist Buddhist
monks since Reuters is such a factual and strictly-neutral media organization a really rare
one among such deeply-polarized media organizations bitterly-divided between the Left and Right
or between Pro and Anti-Islam.